The night that made the journalists scream!

The night the results of the referendum on the constitutional amendments in Turkey were announced was a night of sadness, screaming and weeping for the pro-coup satellite stations in Egypt. It is as if they’ve become the mouthpieces of the opposition in Turkey, even more intense than them. The same record is being played on all their stations: under this new constitution, Erdogan has all the powers in his hand, he can appoint whoever he wants and imprison whoever he wants and he will become a major dictator, like Hitler and the Nazis, etc.

They are speaking as if we in Egypt are living a life of freedom and democracy and we are not governed by a murderous dictator who is filling the prisons with the free and honourable people of our country and killing the innocent in their homes. He is also building more prisons instead of building schools and factories and selling land without referring back to the owners of the land, etc. I am astonished by those who live in a country whose army staged a coup against the people’s choices and deposed the president elected by the people in order to be ruled with an iron fist. Their support is conducive of a tyrannical fascist government while they attack a democratic government that referred to the people to choose their government.

It is ironic that Egypt, which has become the laughing stock of the world, is now mocking the result of the referendum, which was 51.5 per cent, and is wondering what will happen to the other 49 per cent. People’s ignorance and hatred has blinded them. Don’t they know that the rules of democracy in the world mean 50+1 and that England exited the EU with the same percentage and that French President Hollande received the same percentage while US President Trump received a similar percentage? Don’t they know that 99.999 per cent no longer exist in the mathematics of the world, except in our backwards countries in the Arab world?

Read: Turkey barely votes ‘Yes’ to sweeping presidential powers referendum

The Turkish people have proven that they are a great nation that deserves democracy and a dignified life. The fact that 88 per cent of the people voted means that they are a nation that want to send a message to the world; the message that they are the masters in their country, they decide their own fate, and that their leader serves them. They also proved that the opposition is strong and this will prevent the president from ever becoming a dictator.

In his speech after the announcement of the referendum results, President Erdogan said he is a servant to this great nation, despite this, they attacked him claiming he was a dictator. In truth, the attack was not only from the Egyptian media, but also from the Western countries. Although the position of the West towards Turkey and Erdogan in particular is understood, the great progress Erdogan and his Islamist party made have annoyed them. They do not want there to be a strong Muslim state in the heart of Europe and they want to stop this progressing giant, as the nightmare of the strong Ottoman Empire that debased them haunts them. They see Erdogan as the Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror who conquered Constantinople, especially since it will be 100 years since the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne in 2023. This agreement, which was reached after WWI, stipulated the division of the Ottoman inheritance and forced Kamal Ataturk to abandon the Ottoman caliphate and declare Turkey a secular state. Turkey was minimised, making it the size it is today. However, by 2023, the Lausanne agreement will no longer be in effect, and this allows us to understand Erdogan’s successive statements that by 2023 the old Turkey will end and nothing will be left of it. He said that Turkey will begin drilling for oil and digging a new channel to link the Black and Marmara seas paving the way to start charging ships fees, all of which was prohibited under the Treaty of Lausanne.

This also sheds light on the aspects of the fierce war being waged between Turkey and the West, but what does Egypt have to do with all of this? Why did it take such a hostile position against Turkey and Erdogan specifically? This is another matter completely. It is because Erdogan does not recognise Al-Sisi’s coup and has welcomed some Brotherhood figures who sought refuge in his country fearing harm. This raised the government’s reservations against him and now its media machines work day and night to attack him. However, life goes on and dogs will continue to bark.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.